Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1575
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَطَاءٌ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ شَهِدْتُ الصَّلاَةَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي يَوْمِ عِيدٍ فَبَدَأَ بِالصَّلاَةِ قَبْلَ الْخُطْبَةِ بِغَيْرِ أَذَانٍ وَلاَ إِقَامَةٍ فَلَمَّا قَضَى الصَّلاَةَ قَامَ مُتَوَكِّئًا عَلَى بِلاَلٍ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ وَوَعَظَ النَّاسَ وَذَكَّرَهُمْ وَحَثَّهُمْ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ ثُمَّ مَالَ وَمَضَى إِلَى النِّسَاءِ وَمَعَهُ بِلاَلٌ فَأَمَرَهُنَّ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَوَعَظَهُنَّ وَذَكَّرَهُنَّ وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ حَثَّهُنَّ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ " تَصَدَّقْنَ فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَكُنَّ حَطَبُ جَهَنَّمَ " . فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ سَفِلَةِ النِّسَاءِ سَفْعَاءُ الْخَدَّيْنِ بِمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " تُكْثِرْنَ الشَّكَاةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ " . فَجَعَلْنَ يَنْزِعْنَ قَلاَئِدَهُنَّ وَأَقْرُطَهُنَّ وَخَوَاتِيمَهُنَّ يَقْذِفْنَهُ فِي ثَوْبِ بِلاَلٍ يَتَصَدَّقْنَ بِهِ .
‘Amr ibn ‘Ali narrated to us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman narrated to us; he said: ‘Ata’ narrated to us, from Jabir, who said: I attended the prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on an Eid day. He began with the prayer before the sermon, without an adhan or iqamah. When he had finished praying, he stood leaning on Bilal, praised and glorified Allah, exhorted the people, reminded them, and urged them to obey Him. Then he turned and went to the women, with Bilal accompanying him. He instructed them to be mindful of Allah, exhorted and reminded them, praised and glorified Allah, and urged them to obey Him. Then he said: “Give charity, for most of you are fuel for Hell.” A woman with darkened cheeks, described in the source as being among the lower-ranking women, said: “Why, Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “You complain much and are ungrateful to your husbands.” The women began taking off their necklaces, earrings, and rings, casting them into Bilal’s garment to give them in charity.
Translation notes
The wording describing the woman, ‘min safalat al-nisa’ safi‘at al-khaddayn,’ is unusual; ‘among the lower-ranking women’ and ‘with darkened cheeks’ preserve its apparent sense without further identification.
فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ سَفِلَةِ النِّسَاءِ سَفْعَاءُ الْخَدَّيْنِ بِمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " تُكْثِرْنَ الشَّكَاةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ " .
The phrase describing the woman is unusual and does not explain what makes her ‘among the lower-ranking women’; the complexion adjective is also not more specifically defined.
Can another recension clarify the description of the woman?